The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-05-27
eAReAlNlNo BY SIGNS.
The Queer Language Used by Traders in
All Oriental Countries.


In the customary Open-dir markets
of Eastern cOuntries-especially those
devoted to transactions in hides, leather,
wool, grain and fruit-it is no uncom-
mon thing to see a couple of sedate-
looking traders seated on the ground,
each with his right hand concealed in
his neighbours capacious sleeve, and
engaged, to all appearances, in squeez-
ing each others fingers. For few
minutes they will remain in this posi-
ton, one nudging the other occasion
ally, but without exchanging a word;
and then, rising, they will separate and
go their way. Sometimes the perform
ance is varied a little. A couple of
merchants viii stand in the middle of
a brawling and gesticulating crowd by
which they are surrounded and OBJ
served; one will raise the end of his
long robe or unroll the muslin yelling
of his turban and under cover of this
the pair will begin to clasp hands and
fingers as before. The spectacle is ex-
tremely funny to the Western traveller
who does not understand what is going
on; but i'm point of fact the traders are
simply engaged in what they call elk
ing the price" or bargaining. by
means of a code of manual signs al
most universally used by Eastern mer-
chants, who are compelled to do much
of their business in the open air, sur
rounded by people who are quite as
curious about every affair in progress
as the principals themselves. This sys-
tenn of dealing has been adopted for
a very simple reason. Most ordinary
transactions between buyer and seller
in Eastern markets are carried on with
a vast amount of noise, swearing and
| gesticulation; but yet more remarkable
is the active part taken in the negOtia-
! ton by the spectators-the idlers, loaf
ers and busybOdieS, who abound in all
oriental markets. Every ore has some
| thing to say, some advice to give or
! suggestion to make. And as the I'M
written code of the East does not per-
NIT the parties to resent the meddling
of the crowd, it is impossible, under
ordinary circumstances, to arrange any
matter of business without the knowl-
edge of half the market. And so it is
| that MOslem merchants avail themselves
of code of manual signs, expressed
by pressure of the hand or finger in
! concealment
This cCde of mercantile signs is IN
| general use throughout the southern
parts of western Asia, rs we'll as in the
harbOrs and trading stations of Ara
bia, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf
and Eastern Africa. Apart from the
secrecy it ensures, it has the advan-
tage-since the signs are everywhere
the same-of enabling traders of diff
ferent nationalities, to whom the bazar
vernacular is unknown to buy and sell
without the aid of Intermediates. The
practice has occasionally been referred
to by Observant travellers, though the
signs themselves have never yet been
described. They are extremely simple,
few in number and easily learned. To
make Il beginning, the would-be buyer
opens the business with an offer to
purchase, expressed by passing the
palm of the hand sideways over the
vendors knuckles. If he grasp the
first or index finger of the seller fully
extended, the price offered is one, of
whatever the coin may be in which
tender is customary in the market. A
single pressure underneath with the
thumb makes this ten; double pres
sure, distinctly given, 100. The first
two fingers taken together signify two;
pressure Of the thumb underneath once
or twice, raising the figure to twenty or
200. In like manner, the first three
fingers grasped by the buyer convey
an offer of three, thirty or 300i the
four fingers, four, forty or 400, and the
whole hand five, fifty or 500. The lit
tie finger taken by itself signifies six,
sixty or 600; the third or ring finger,
seven, seventy or 700; the middle
finger, eight, eighty or 800, and the
first Orindex finger, bent-not extended
as for ''one''-is equivalent to
nine, ninety or 900. Graspin9
the thumb alone is tender
of a thousand. Fractions are nc
less easily expressed. To signi-
fy one-half, the buyer passes the thumb
sideways across the middle joint of the
vendors middle finger. The same
-movement in the direction of the
knuckle means an addition of one
fourth while in the contrary direction
/ lONtIu INC AAl2CI-ilIJs II II XII OtACI III q
quarter less. The whole nail of the
fore-fnger grasped between thumb and
index-fnger means one-eighth more
the tip of the nail only an eighth less
These are the chief signs of this mer
camille finger speech, which can b,
made to Indicate any numbers. Fol
instance, to express $40 it is only nee
essary to grasp the vendors thuml
three times, the hand once and ther
the four fingers together with distinc
single pressure. The sign for 90 i!
made by taking hold of the sellers in
dex finger, bending it in so doing, anC
then selling the little finger. The sign
for q would be given by grasping the
little finger, then moving the thumb
sideways across the middle joint of th'
first finger. To express the Fraction
I it would only be necessary to Civ,
the sign for l (grasping the index fin
ger) and then that of less by takin;
hold of the tip of the nail. OF cours
the buyer, by this means, indicates tn
highest price he is disposed to offer
while the seller, through the same me
dunn, makes known the lowest term
he is disposed to accept Equipped
with these signs the Iranian trade
from the Persian Gulf has no difficult.
: in exchanging commodities with tn
negro dealer from Cordofan and Sen
, mar, and an Englishman, though igno
rant of any Eastern tongue, coul'
5 enter m Oriental market tomorrow
: and bargain with as much ease as
native of the country. Philadelphia
Telegraph.